Before we talk about Dynamics 365 business process flow, let’s understand what are business process flows without involving technologies. Needless to say, when running a business, it is essential to establish a set of rules and processes that all stakeholders are required to follow. This ensures consistency and reliability within the system. This is when a business process flow helps. It is a set of steps that people entering data need to follow every time they work with a new customer.
For instance, you might want your customer support team to handle customer service requests the same way every time. Or, you might want to get invoices processed within your organization in a certain systematic approach.
For purposes like these and others, you need business process flows. Next, let’s understand what Dynamics 365 business process flow means.
What is Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow?
Dynamics 365 business process flow is a tool in Dynamics 365 that provides a visual element to your business process flow (BPF) by equipping you with visual presentations of Processes. Thus, all the BPFs in Dynamics 365 are represented on the heading across the top of an Entity form.
In other words, in Dynamics 365, each BPF comprises various stages. Each stage, then, consists of many steps that must be completed. A heading represents each stage of the flow to help users understand their current stage. What makes the business process flow in Dynamics 365 reliable is that users cannot jump to the next stage of the BPF before completing the previous step properly.
Why Use Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow?
A business process flow in Dynamics 365 makes way for a standard process followed within the organization. It provides you with a streamlined guide for all the involved stakeholders to get the work done. This also creates an optimum user experience by knowing the process flow they will follow to conclude.
However, Dynamics 365 business process flow can be tailored according to the different security toles of people to deliver an experience that suits them the best. One of the perks of Dynamics 365 business process flow is the visual presentation that lets each user know their current stage. This also eliminates the need for training as new users are intuitively guided about the next step, making way for a user-friendly experience.
Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow Evolution
Dynamics 365 business process flow has evolved and improved over the years. Although the tool still has a lot of limitations which we have discussed in the next section, the tool lagged even with other features a few years back.
As a part of the continual evolution and improvement process, you can now call on-demand workflows from a business process flow which was now possible initially. You can achieve this by heading on to the new business process flow designer. Next, drag a workflow component to the Global Workflows section or process stage.
What are Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow Limitations?
Although everything looks shiny at first, not all is well with Dynamics 365 business flow. The tool comes with its own set of limitations:
Compatibility
Foremost, you can only define business process flows for entities that support them.
Limited Processes Per Entity
Follow a detailed business process workflow with a lot of steps per entity. You might find it disappointing to know that the tool doesn’t support more than 10 activated business process flow processes in an entity. This means if you have a process that requires more than ten activated processes per entity, you will end up feeling stuck.
Limited Stages
This is yet another limitation of Dynamics 365 business process flow. The tool only supports 30 stages. You will have to tweak your business process flow for anything beyond that.
Limited Entities
In addition to processes per entity and stages, even entities are limited. If you have a multi-entity process, you cannot have more than five entities under it.
Limited Entities Can Use Business Process Flows
Not all entities support business process flows. Only entities that use the updated forms can sue them. These include custom entities and system entities like Account, Appointment, Campaign Response, Case, Marketing List, User, Team, and so on.
Want to Know More About Business Process Flows ?
Check out our other articles on the subject :
- All You Need to Know About Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow Branching
- Configure Security Role In Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow
- How To Activate An Action Step In Dynamics 365 Business Process Flow?
- Dynamics 365 Workflow Vs. Microsoft Flow: What Is The Difference?
Need Help in Implementing your Processes into your CRM ?
As can be seen, Dynamics 365 business process flow can streamline the processes within your organization by providing a standard process flow to all the involved stakeholders. Since everything is visually presented, there is almost no learning curve involved. The entire standardization also enhances the user experience.
If you want to implement business process flow with your Dynamics 365 and are not sure how to proceed further, look upon Gestisoft. Contact our professionals today for any guidance.
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April 22, 2022 by Lukas Vézina by Lukas Vézina Marketing Content Specialist
Marketing specialist working at Gestisoft since 2017, I firmly believe any subject can be interestingly presented. It just takes empathic and creative storytelling.
